The Village Stooges

You'd have to be a village idiot not to laugh out loud at this one. James Williamson of Iggy & The Stooges posted this on Facebook:

Ok, this is the last straw....Mike Watt our bass player writes a blog/diary of all his random thoughts and experiences as filtered through his unusual consciousness....well he's gone too far now...he made the comment that I had tried to force him to wear a "wife beater" t-shirt....and additionally had forced him to shave off his moustace....I just want to set the record straight that I never told him anything of the sort...He was wearing a flannel shirt in 100+ degree heat in St. Petersburg and I simply suggested that he'd be more comfortable in something like a t-shirt and one of the other guys suggested a wife beater.....anyway, not they are running with the "James is trying to turn the Stooges into the Village People theme....this photo is the latest....revenge will be sweet.

Whose side are you on?

I-94 Bar columnist Earl O'Neill has upset a few people with his column on the upcoming Australian Federal election in which he expounds about why most rock and roll people lean to the left. Or maybe they're the most vocal? Read it here and flame him via the link in his byline. You might end up in his next column.

Kill City re-issue on the way

It's out in its re-mixed and re-mastered glory on September 19. It'll be on Alive Natural Energy through Bomp. You will need it. Here's the obligatory YouTube plug.

Truly an under-rated classic, "Kill City" was the album Iggy and James made while the singer was on weekend leave from the psych ward. It contains songs that would have been on a post-"Raw Power" album if Iggy & the Stooges (let's get the branding right) had made one and has always suffered from sonic limitations.

What does this knob do?

The powerful thing about the Internet is that it transmits concepts and iconic images around the world in an amazingly short time.

Standards of taste vary from country to country and we were never contribute to one of these virtual chain letters that pushes around a photo of dubious taste.

Especially if it involved a pitch-corrected, musically tedious artist like Kylie Minogue.

Hey, Thanks, I Still Hate

You may not give a shit about John Lydon's reformed Public Image Limited as they trek around the UK, copping good reviews for their shows, or the news that they're considering recording a new studio album.

The revelation that PiL is in trouble for considering playing shows in Israel might not rate highly on your radar, or the nugget that Lydon tried to take the Sex Pistols to Iran.

But you have to love the comments streaming into this online story on the Mojo magazine site - because you just can't keep a good hating punk down. There's some pure gold.

Famous Places and Faces Episode 167

You may have heard of Abbey Road in London. Some band recorded there in the '60s and '70s. A lot.

But did you know the studio has a webcam of the famous pedestrian crossing where said band shot a cover photo? There are minutes of amusement in this one. Find it here.

Chris Klondike Masuak Instore

Facebook | Chris Masuak Instore
Mojo Music is downstairs at 32 York Street in Sydney. Bring drinks. And it's free.

Celebrity Stoner John Sinclair

Where else would ex-MC5 manager and spiritual adviser John Sinclair be blogging than for something called Celebrity Stoner?

It looks like an online version of the old High Times mag. You'd be showing your age if you remembered that. Interestingly, the big fella's having his collected works published sometime this year.

Most people who've met John Sinclair tell stories about toking up with him. I was planning to catch him live while in Ann Arbor a few years back. He was in town for the annual Hemp Fest and was playing the Blind Pig.

I arrived in the Eight Ball Saloon (downstairs from the Pig) quite early and got caught up drinking with some people, who will remain nameless. Someone messed up the times and we missed the Sinclair show completely. By the time I got to meet him I doubt he could understand a word. It was down to my Australian accent and nothing to do with the 15 Pabst Blue Ribbons I'd thrown down.

King of Men spruiks for the Stooges

You see some lame online promotions and you see some winners. This concept is pretty cool (and I'm not saying that because it involves Handsome Dick Manitoba and Iggy % the Stooges.

The idea is simple (the best ones usually are): Film a clip of yourself asking a question of Iggy & the Stooges about the "Raw Power" album. The best will feature in a documentary which, at a guess, would be all about the band's forthcoming All Tomorrow's Parties gig in upstate New York in September.

Here's HDH hisself, doing the pitch from his bar in Manhattan:

More details here.

Jack Rabid and The Big Takeover

There's a great local paper story about Jack Rabid, publisher and editor of The Big Takeover magazine here. Rabid's left Manhattan for the relatively less gentrified climes of Brooklyn, which by all accounts is where the club scene and underground bands are these days.

Chockful of reviews and interviews and diverse in its tastes, The Big Takeover is published bi-annually and is the thickness of a small phonebook. It's one of a handful of mags worth tracking down, along with Ugly Things and Bucketful of Brains, the latter of which I never see as copies don't seem to make it to Australia.